City saga exposes moral bankruptcy of English football
Brian Glanville says that Thaksin Shinawatra's proposed takeover of Manchester City has left a dark stain over English football and those who run it
Brian Glanville
The sheer moral bankruptcy of top-level English football has been horribly exposed by the saga of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, and his proposed takeover of Manchester City. It seemed on the brink of conclusion - despite revelations of his regime's sinister record - until at the last moment Thailand’s authorities contacted our own, demanding to know whether the money being used to take control of City came from the proceeds of alleged criminal activity. ”If that is the case,” said Sunai Manomaiudom, director-general of the Thai Justice Department of Special Investigation, “the ownership of the football club must be questioned."
This would inevitably mean, were such malfeasance proved, that the Thai Government would demand Shinawatra’s extradition. The Thai police have already frozen £1.1 billion of his assets. But he seems substantially able with funds removed from Thailand to implement his takeover.
It would be ironic if Shinawatra were prevented from acquiring City solely on the basis of alleged financial corruption. For his regime's utter disregard of human rights, as shown by Amnesty International, makes sheer nonsense of the Premier League's demand that any would-be owner of an English club should be “a fit and proper person”.
Yet despite such appalling revelations, we have not heard publically a word in opposition from the chief executive of the Premiership, Richard Scudamore, the chief executive of the FA, Brian Barwick, nor from Richard Caborn, while he was still Minister for Sport.
When the Premiership was formed in an unholy alliance between the FA and the senior clubs of the Football League, I nicknamed it “The Greed Is Good League”, but never did I envisage such a shameless display of greed and cynicism as we are seeing now.
Amnesty International declares it “has received credible reports of police ill-treating and torturing suspects in pre-trial detentions to extract confessions", plus “widespread abuses in the administration of justice” with detainees beaten to death or tortured with hot coals. Thaksin has been accused of imposing “a climate of impunity that allows human rights violations to continue”. Amnesty International is also concerned over the killing or disappearance of 16 political opponents from 2001 to 2004, especially the disappearance of a leading Muslim lawyer, Somchai Neelaphaijit, who had been defending five Muslim separatists. In the southern provinces of Thailand, where Malay Muslims are in a majority, martial law was declared and 500 Muslims killed in one year. A campaign against drug dealers resulted in the deaths of an estimated 2,000 people suspected of trading in amphetamines. The list goes on and on. In 2001, Amnesty reported “increased reports of ill treatment and killings” of hill tribe people who face “discrimination with regard to education, health care and other basic rights”.
For his part, Shinawatra insists that all such charges are without foundation and politically motivated by the regime that has followed his overthrow in the military coup.
Shinawatra says he is "taking legal action" against the Assets Examination Committee in Thailand set up by the military junta that removed him from office. Significantly, he does not seem to have taken "legal action" against the appalling accusations made against his regime by Amnesty International . Perhaps this would be an early opportunity for the new Government Sports Minister, Gerry Sutcliffe, to give a lead and an example.
Supremely oblivious of all this, or simply so anxious to grasp Shinawatra’s money that they apparently could not care less about it, City last week actually issued an appeal to those lesser shareholders who have yet to transfer their shares to do so as quickly as possible, thus enabling Shinawatra to take total control of the club.
Shinawatra and his wife have now been ordered by Thai investigators to come home to face charges of violating Thailand’s securities and exchange act. They are accused of the serious offence of hiding ownership of assets that could indicate tax evasion or money laundering. They must return to Thailand by July 26 or face arrest and possible extradition, but his lawyers insist he won’t go back until after December’s democratic elections. Whether he would do so then is surely problematical.
As things stand, City themselves are impugned of reckless disregard for the moral aspects of their proposed deal, while the Premiership, the FA and the Minister for Sport are notionally little better than accessories after the fact. They can only hope that the takeover never takes place. In the meantime, there is a dark stain over English football and those who run it. Greed seems good indeed. And money not only talks but shouts to the sky, deafening all other considerations.
